The Art of Coming Home
by platedlizard
Summary: After the final battle Sasuke deals with blindness, depression, grief, and the art of coming home.
1. Chapter 1

AN: This is a new Chapter one, the old Chapter one is now Chapter Two. The old Chapter Two is now Chapter Three and has some new stuff. Sasuke is kinda more pathetic than I like, but whatevers. Initially this story was supposed to be more shippy than it ended up being, I seem to be taking it in a more family-oriented direction, focusing more on Sasuke's (and Iruka's) Big Brother complex, haha. The usual warnings apply, totally non-beta'd, doesn't belong to me, yada yada.

...

_The __night __before __the__ final __battle __Naruto __couldn__'__t __sleep__. __He __woke __Iruka __from__ a__ restless __sleep __by __sneaking __into __his __tent __and __laying __down__ next __to __Iruka__'__s __futon__. __He__'__d __obviously __been __trying __to __be __quiet__ about__ it__, __but __being __quiet __was __something __that __did __not __come __naturally__ to __his __student__._

"_Naruto__, __what __is __it__?" __he __asked__ instead__._

_The __boy __jerked __guiltily __and __laughed__ shakily__. "__I__-__uh__. __I __couldn__'__t __sleep __and__ I __thought__- __um__. __Ehehe__."_

_Iruka __snorted__, __and__ flipped __the __blankets __up__. "__Kick __off __your __shoes __and__ get __in __here__."_

"_Thanks__," __Naruto __said__, __after __he __curled __up __on__ the __futon__. "__I__ couldn__'__t __sleep__ by __myself__, __and __Kakashi__-__sensei __is __up __going __over __plans__, __and __Yamamoto __is__ nice __but __kinda __freaky__, __and __I __don__'__t __know__ where __Sai __is __and _anyway _he__'__d __probably __want __to __talk __about __my __dick __which__ is __a __bit__, __um__, __creepy__. __And__ I__ think __Sakura __would __kill __me__. __So__. __Yeah__. __Thanks__."_

_Iruka__ grinned__, __and __ruffled __his __hair__. "__No __problem__," __he __said__. "__You__'__re __family__, __after__all__."_

_There __was __a__ little __pause__, __and__ then __Naruto __gave __a__ pleased __huff__. "__Really__?"_

"_Yeah__. __Really__." __He __chuckled __when __he __felt __the __boy__ hug __him__, __laying__ his __head __on __his __chest__. __But __after __a __moment __Naruto__'__s __mood__ changed__._

"_Sasuke__'__s __my __family __too__," __he __whispered__ into __Iruka__'__s __shirt__._

_Iruka __didn__'__t __say __anything__. __He __knew__ what __it __was__ like __to __watch __a __teammate__ take __a__ darker __path__, __and __not __be __able __to __do __anything __about __it__. __It __had __happened __to __him __twice__, __on__ two __different __teams__. __But __neither __of __his __teammates __were __close __enough __to __him__ to __be__ considered__ family__. __He__ didn__'__t __know __what __to __say __to __him__._

_But__ this __was __Naruto__, __whom__ he __was __starting __to __believe __could __do __anything__._

"_You__'__ll __find __a __way__ to __bring__ him__ home__," __he __said__. "__I __believe __in __you__."_

"_Thanks__," __Naruto __said__. __Iruka __could __almost __hear __his __grin__. __Then__ he __squawked __when __Iruka __ran __his __knuckles __over __his __head__. __Naruto __punched __him __lightly __in __retaliation__, __then __pulled__ the__ blankets __up __further__ around __them__._

"_Go __to __sleep__, __brat__."_

"_Whatever__, __old __man__." __But __it __wasn__'__t __too __much __longer __before __the __boy__'__s __breath __evened __out__._

_Iruka __stayed __awake __a__ long__ time__, __thinking __about __his __teammates__._

...

Sasuke woke up. It felt like he was emerging out of a fog, the kind that would roll in during the night over the grasslands of Oto, smothering everything in dense white clouds, just as his thoughts were now smothered. Those fogs could be deadly, phantom sounds luring unwary nin further out into the night and hiding danger. This fog smothered his thoughts, dulling his senses, making him weak in the face of danger. He fought against the fog, forcing himself to be more aware, cudgeling his thoughts into something more like their former fluidity. Slowly, far too slowly he opened his eyes. The after-image of the fox burned in his vision. There was no light at all, but his eyes hurt as if he had been staring at the sun. He lifted a surprisingly heavy hand to rub his eyes, but it didn't help. The darkness remained, and in it someone stirred.

Sasuke tensed, trying to force his chakra into something resembling self-defense. It was shockingly difficult. Even marshaling his thoughts was like wading through molasses. Frantically he pushed chakra into his eyes, but pain shot through his eyes and he cried out, jackknifing against the agony.

"Easy," someone said, taking his shoulders and pressing him back down into the bed. His voice was tantalizingly familiar, but in Sasuke's agony he couldn't place it. "You need to relax your chakra. Your chakra-system is badly burned, and you're quite badly injured."

Sasuke struggled against the man's grip, but he was as weak as a kitten. He gritted his teeth, and twisted, striking out with thunder-infused fists. He should have hit his captor, while the chidori was too weak to really hurt a trained nin it should have hit him at such a close range. Agony blazed his veins like fire. The man cursed and let go, dancing backwards in the dark.

"Hey now," the main said, _chuckling_. "I'mnot here to hurt you. But it was either me, or they would have put you in restraints, and I didn't think you would like that."

Restraints. So he was a prisoner. "Who are you?" Sasuke growled, "Why are the lights out?"

There was an ugly little silence at that. "I'm Iruka-sensei, and the lights are on, Uchiha-san," the other man said carefully.

Lights? Sasuke rubbed his eyes, pressing them, dropping his hands to the blankets and hissing as pain flared in them. The fox seemed to pulse with every heartbeat. He blinked rapidly. "You mentioned restraints," he said, with remarkable calmness under the circumstances. "Why am I not restrained?"

"That was only suggested as a precaution," his old academy teacher said. "We weren't sure how you would react when you woke up."

That didn't actually answer the question. Sasuke frown, trying to glare at him through the dark. He really wished they would turn on the light, but keeping him in the dark was a standard interrogation procedure. Although why Iruka-sensei was the one doing the interrogation, he didn't understand. Sasuke had always assumed that the man was nothing more then a chuunin school teacher.

_"__Look __underneath __the __underneath__,"_ the ghost of Kakashi said. Sasuke struggled against his mental fog. There was something important he wasn't quite grasping. The Kyuubi pulsed in his vision.

"Naruto," he rasped finally, grabbing hold of the one thing he could focus on. "I don't-was he hurt?"

His memory was foggy, but he could remember seeing Naruto down, _screaming_, as the Kyuubi was ripped loose.

"He's fine," Iruka-sensei said, and Sasuke thought that it must be actually true. "He asked me to keep an eye on you while he's out, hunting down the last of the Akatsuki."

Oh. Sasuke closed his brother's eyes, suddenly feeling every inch of tiredness through his body. Naruto was always running a head of him. He never seemed to catch up. And this time, he didn't even want to try.

"Better execute me now, before he gets back," he said.

Iruka coughed. "What?" he sputtered.

"I am going to be executed, aren't I?" It was one of the few things he was still certain of, Konoha wanted him dead. They had sent teams out after him, even his old teammates, to do it. He'd known from the moment he left the village what his fate would be if he was ever captured.

Iruka cleared his throat. "No. Naruto threatened to raze the village if we did. He said he had sworn to protect both Konoha and you, and that he was going to do it. He, ah, told us about your brother. It's good to know my old teammate..." his voice trailed off. Sasuke was mildly shocked at this news, but even Itachi had been a genin once. "Well, anyways, that's neither here nor there."

Itachi's eyes pulsed with pain. It was beginning to dawn on Sasuke that _Iruka_ apparently didn't have a problem maneuvering in the dark, as if it wasn't dark at all to _him__._ He could hear the man shifting around, pacing like he used to pace at the front of the class when he was angry or upset about something. Which was usually something to do with Naruto and whatever his latest prank was. Unless the chuunin teacher had suddenly developed a new technique that Sasuke wasn't aware of the answer was quite simple. It wasn't, however, something that he wanted to face right now.

_As__ long__ as__ they__'__re__ alive__,_ he thought, rubbing his brother's eyes. _Itachi __is __still __alive__._

Even he knew how pathetic that thought was.

...

The first seizure came like a thunderstorm drifting in over the horizon. Strange smells weren't unusual in the hospital, where anesthetic and disinfectants ruled, and even the occasional drifting scent of burned flesh were merely the odor of the day. But the scent of rotting eggs was a new one to him.

"Sulfur," Sasuke said out loud as the nurse adjusted something. He felt strange, oddly jittery, and wondered if they were starting him on a new medication.

"What sulfur?"

"Or rotting eggs," he said. "The air stinks."

The nurse shifted, he could feel the catheter entering his right arm move as she changed the IV. "I don't smell anything," she said after a moment. Then: "Is something wrong?"

"Ah," he said, feeling agitated. The premonition of _something __awful_ was growing by the moment, crashing over him like a wave and all his training and all his will power was nothing against the onslaught. The last thing he was aware of was the nurse's cool hand on his forehead.

And then there was nothing at all.

...

He woke aching, every muscle trembling with exhaustion as if he had trained with Orochimaru again. His shoulders in particular felt wrenched. His heart was racing and all Sasuke could think was that he had been attacked, he had been harmed, that despite all of Iruka's promises and Naruto's pleading they had decided to do something to him, he didn't know what, and it was only a matter of time before they hurt him further. The Kyuubi laughed, delighting in his fear.

In the darkness someone moved.

Instantly he was up, tearing out those invading needles, chidori crackling at his fingertips. He grabbed the bed's guardrail and ripped it free, sending thunder rumbling down the metal. It was a poor imitation of a katana, but it was better then nothing.

"Get back!" someone said. He thought it was Sakura. "He's in the recovery phase and doesn't know what he is doing!"

Sasuke snarled in the dark, arcing electricity toward her voice. Sakura cursed, a word that she would have never used as a genin, and something clattered.

"Listen to me Sasuke!" she yelled. He backed up, stumbling over a chair, kicking it viciously and cursing. He could barely tell right from left in this endless night.

"Listen! To what! Lies? Are you going to lie to me, Sakura? Lie like everyone in this village has always lied to me? Lie like that fucking old man when he told me that my brother went insane?" Sasuke pressed himself against the wall, thoughts tumbling in a confusing mess. "Where is he, anyway?"

"Sasuke," Sakura said, carefully. Her voice echoed slightly, like she was out in the hall instead of in the room with him. Wise of her. "You had a seizure. We don't know why yet. We need to run more tests to find out. Right now you are in the recovery period, which is why you feel odd. No one is hurting you. No one is lying to you."

None of that made sense. More lies.

"Where is he?" he demanded, focusing on the one thing that had been the center of his life for so long. Revenge. She didn't answer him, but he could hear her whispering to someone in the hall. Sasuke decided that he didn't like being ignored. He electrified the guardrail and swung it at the wall, knowing that there was no way to aim. Even with normal vision it was impossible, he needed the Sharingan. The rail crashed against the wall, sending a wave of electricity along wall toward her. "WHERE IS HE?"

To his satisfaction he would hear people scatter, screaming and fleeing in fear. To his disappointment Sakura wasn't one of them.

"Where is who?" Sakura asked calmly. She was in the room with him now, her voice no longer echoed.

Sasuke shook his head, suddenly confused. As the other people fled the sense of being trapped eased, leaving him disoriented and exhausted. The guardrail dropped from nerveless fingers, and he leaned against the wall, grateful that he hadn't seriously damaged it, that it could still hold him up.

"Sasuke?" Sakura said. He jumped, she was only feet away How did she get so close without him noticing? "You're bleeding," she said, slowly and carefully. "You ripped out the needles from the IV. Can I bandage them?"

Bleeding? Now that she mentioned it he could smell the copper scent of fresh blood in the air. The ache in his shoulders pulsed, and Sasuke slid down the wall, hugging his bleeding arms to himself. "Where is he?" he asked again, more softly this time.

Sakura touched his wrist and gently tugged his hand out. "Where is who?" she asked, the coolness of an alcohol swap wiping his arm.

He shook his head, feeling clearer and clearer by the minute and shuddered, rubbing his brother's eyes. He slid to the floor, not answering Sakura's question. He wasn't sure he could answer it. He wanted...

He wanted.

Sakura touched his shoulder hesitantly. Through the slight tremor of her touch he could feel her fear, and it calmed him further. He was still powerful-they could hurt him-but he could hurt them back. No matter what anyone thought, he was not going down without a fight. Reassured he allowed his former-teammate to take his hand and... hold it. Apparently. It was annoying, but he had to admit privately that it was better than trying to figure out exactly where, in the dark, Sakura was, so he decided to ignore it. She didn't matter.

Sasuke tensed when he heard a couple more people enter the room.

"Those are orderlies," Sakura said hastily. "They are going to fix the bed and clean the room, and then they are going to leave." That last was said pointedly, and Sasuke could feel their gaze. He snorted, turning away from them. His eyes slid shut, now that Sasuke wasn't fighting for his life he was _exhausted_. It was as bad as the very first time Orochimaru had trained him, beating him into the ground in order to break down his body so it could be rebuilt. All around them he could hear the orderlies straighten the room. Several brief buzzes of what sounded like an electric drill and then the sound of metal hitting the floor told him when they removed the remainder of the guardrail, followed by a sequence of sound that must have been it being replaced.

"Stay awake Sasuke-san," Sakura said, jostling him. "Hyguua-sensei will be here soon, and I want him to look at you before you rest. He grimaced, but opened his eyes anyway, not that it mattered. She chuckled weakly, "I thought you couldn't hear me there for a moment."

Sasuke felt a flicker of annoyance, and pulled his hand away just as another person entered the room.

"Oh my," a strange man said. His voice was deep and rough with age. "Haruno-sensei, what happened here?"

A subtle movement of air and cloth indicted that Sakura had stood up to greet the stranger. Sasuke tensed all over again, feeling his heart and breath speed up. _If__ they __hurt __me__, __I __can __still __hurt __them__,_ he reminded himself, even as the stranger came closer.

"Sasuke-san had a seizure, and a rather... rough recovery period." Sakura chuckled.

"I can see that. Hello Uchiha-san, I am Hyuuga Takashi." The man's voice was suddenly level to him. "Would you like to come to an exam room?"

Sasuke drew his knees to his chest. For a moment he almost decided to ignore the stranger, but there were already too many people in the room. He nodded reluctantly and used the trusty wall to pull himself upright, jerking away from Sakura's 'helpful' hands.

Walking through the corridors and down a flight of stairs was an exercise in humiliation. Sakura walked on the inside of the corridor, which allowed him to drag his fingertips along the wall. The stranger walked in front of them, and surrounding them was what Sasuke could only assume were his guards. Probably ANBU. It was somewhat reassuring to know that Konoha wasn't nearly as trusting as he thought they were.

He could hear the murmurs of people in the distance, could almost feel their piercing gazes as they watched him grope his way past them. Despite his desire to ignore them he could feel the creeping paranoia crawling up his spine as his mind conjured images of eyes and snakes out of the darkness while beyond them the Kuuybi laughed. By the time he got to the exam room he was soaked in sweat and shaking. Sakura tsked and without so much as a by-your-leave yanked his shirt off, leaving him half-naked, sitting on a exam table, and shivering.

Then the Hyuuga triggered his Byakugan. Sasuke immediately stiffened, fingers digging into the paper-covered cushion of the table. Electricity flickered through him again, followed immediately by agonizing pain. He jackknifed, gagging, barely aware of Sakura grabbing his shoulders.

The pain abruptly stopped. Slowly Sasuke became aware of a warm hand touching a point somewhere between his shoulders.

"Well, that was interesting," the Hyuuga said. He sounded sickeningly cheerful.

"You stopped a seizure?" Sakura sounded gobbsmacked. But the Hyuuga just laughed.

"No, not really. Lay down Uchiha-san." Weakly Sasuke obeyed. He didn't really have a choice. Humiliation upon humiliation, but then it was what he deserved. "I'm going to touch your head," he said about a second before he actually did. Sasuke winced.

"Well?" he said after a moment.

"Ah! You speak!" If anything the man sounded absolutely gleeful. Sasuke sighed, an wondered why it was his fate to be perpetually surrounded by idiots.

"Just get on with it," he said, tiredly, resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. It really didn't matter.

"Hmm," the doctor said after a moment. Sasuke could hear the scribbling of pen to paper as the man took notes.

The exam seemed to take a very long time. Sasuke let his mind wander. It seemed to him that he could feel his brother nearby, an odd hallucination that nonetheless comforted him. When he had been sick as a child it was always Itachi who had taken him to the doctor. When he had developed pneumonia at age five it had been Itachi who sat by his bed and changed the towel on his forehead while the wolves circled and snakes writhed in his vision. He would feel his brother now, stroking his hair and whispering silly stories just out of the range of his hearing. Sasuke missed him, suddenly and intensely. He didn't think he would ever stop missing Itachi.

"Yes, yes," the man finally muttered to himself. Sasuke pulled himself together, blinking back tears.

"Did you find something?" Sakura asked. Sasuke started she stirred next to him. He had forgotten that she was there. As if to remind him he felt her slip a tissue into his hand, and he was horrified to realize that they both must have noticed his tears. He didn't know whether to be shamed or grateful that they hadn't said anything.

"Yes," the man continued. "Epilepsy, caused by traumatic brain damage. We'll start you on some anti-convulsents, and see how it goes."

Said so lightly, as if it wasn't some kind of a life-sentence.

"Ah, I suspected so, but I couldn't be sure. What's the prognosis?" Sakura asked, like she was asking about a broken bone.

"Likely long-term, although it could resolve itself in a few months. However, I wouldn't be surprised if this condition is permanent."

_Permanent__,_ he thought. Sasuke closed his eyes. He could see Itachi standing before him, blood pouring from him mouth, blind eyes smiling at him.

If anyone said anything after that, Sasuke didn't hear them.


	2. Chapter 2

_In the end, it was Iruka who brought him home._

_Iruka stood at the edge of the battlefield, his heart in his mouth as he watched _his boy_, the child he had first neglected, then ignored, then nurtured, be slowly ripped apart by the forces within him. The battle had gone too far, too fast, and then the strange Uchiha had cast Sasuke-kun aside with a sneering laugh and _had let the fox loose _and now his boy, his _child_, was dying in agony before his eyes, and there was nothing Iruka could do about it._

_The fox was fury and glory, and blazed more brightly than it had the day it had leveled Konoha. It was beautiful and terrible, and completely beyond comprehension. Once, long ago, Mizuki had asked him why he didn't feel any hatred toward the fox, and the question had stunned him. How could you hate a thing like that? It would be like hating a volcano, or a tornado, or a tsunami. Some things were simply too large, too awesome to hate. Some things existed beyond the limits of human comprehension._

_The fox roared in triumph, but underneath its voice Iruka could hear Naruto screaming, and he realized that it was possible to hate the mountain._

_Suddenly Madara was down, so swiftly Iruka didn't see the strike, and in his place stood Sasuke-kun, blood-soaked and trembling with exhaustion. That didn't stop him from catching the monster's eye, or _laughing_ in a way that nothing to do with humor. The fox growled, and as the two became focused on the mental battlefield between them the glow of its chakra intensified, until it was like staring at the sun. _

_Too bright to see._

_Iruka looked away. Sasuke didn't._

* * *

Sleep was preferable to reality.

Voices in the living room. One low and adult, the other loud and only marginally so.

"He's asleep," low and placating.

"He's always sleeping," the other whined. Sasuke lips stretched in a silent 'dobe'. "It's not good for him to sleep this much. I'm going to wake him up before he rots away." There was a muffled protest from the older man before the room was flooded with light, making the Kyuubi pulse painfully in his vision.

The fox's hot chakra fluttered against his skin, like the breath of a roaring fire. The fox hated him, and did everything it could to let him know that at every opportunity.

"Get up, teme!" The covers were flung back. "Are you just going to lie here all day?"

Yes. Sasuke didn't bother saying it, however. Obstinately he curled up tighter and waited for the moron to go away.

If only he was so lucky.

Naruto growled and grabbed his shoulder and instantly he was enveloped by fire, as the fox's chakra burned through his sensitized chakra pathways. Sasuke gritted his teeth and forced himself to go limp, and only his training with Orochimaru kept him from throwing the fucking idiot off him and then knifing him through the throat. It wasn't Naruto's fault the fox hated him. This pain, this fire, was nothing more than Sasuke's just punishment.

That didn't make it any easier to stand.

Naruto shook him and then to Sasuke's massive relief he let go with and exasperated yell. "Fine! Be that way! If you're not up in two minutes I'm going to come back in here with a bucket of ice water and dump it all over you, and you get to clean it up!"

Fuck you, Naruto. "Iruka would really hate that," his voice sounded harsh and cracked with disuse even to his ears.

"I don't care." His words were belied by the slightly nervous edge to it. "You've been in bed for too long. You'll just rot away if you stay here."

"Fuck you." Sasuke rolled over and buried his face in his pillow. Maybe if he smothered himself the moron would go away.

"Uh huh." Naruto punched his shoulder lightly, sending a wave of fire through him. "Comeon, you have two minutes." He left, and the room instantly felt cold and empty.

One minute and thirty eight seconds later Sasuke pulled himself out of bed and stumbled into the living room, the sudden light causing the Kyuubi to pulse painfully once more. He grimaced and rubbed his eyes, trying once more to rub that afterimage away. It was pointless however, the image of the demon fox was burned permanently into his retinas, obscuring everything else. He could hear the water running in the bathroom.

"Hi Sasuke, glad you could join us." Sasuke oriented himself on Iruka's voice. The chuunin was apparently seated on the couch by the TV.

"Is he up?" Naruto called from the bathroom.

"Yes Naruto, he's up."

"Damnit!" There was the sound of what Sasuke could only assume was a bucket being dumped out in the bathtub and the water being shut off. Why those actions required that much clattering and banging around was a complete mystery to Sasuke. Sasuke carefully felt his way over to the couch, while Iruka kept things picked up Naruto had a tendency to forget that Sasuke couldn't see and left his shit everywhere. He'd tripped more than once over a chuunin vest or a set of house slippers left carelessly in the middle of the floor. This time either Naruto had remembered, or Iruka had finally beat it into his thick skull.

"Here." Iruka said, taking his hand and guiding him to a spot between the chuunin and the arm of the couch, the better to separate the two boys. Sasuke curled his legs under him.

"Sasuke?" Iruka said. Behind them a herd of horses galloped into the kitchen and started slamming the cabinets. Either that or Naruto was making popcorn. "I know Naruto can be a bit—enthusiastic." The microwave door slammed shut and it peeped as the time was poked into it. "But I do think he's right. Sakura said that your chakra levels have recovered." As much as they're going to, Sasuke corrected mentally. "And sleeping all day isn't going to help you at this point."

Sasuke shrugged uncomfortably. He knew that, everyone knew that, even the moron burning popcorn in the kitchen knew it. But that didn't keep him from feeling exhausted. And besides, sleeping made things...easier.

"You can't avoid everyone forever."

"I know that." Sasuke snapped.

"Tch." Sasuke flinched a little as out of nowhere Iruka's hand settled on his head and ruffled his hair. It was difficult for him to sense the locations of other people outside of combat, their chakra didn't telegraph their intentions well when they were relaxed. He hated how vulnerable it made him feel. Sasuke stiffened and pulled away ignoring Iruka's amused snort.

In the kitchen Naruto evidently decided that the popcorn was done, and amazingly enough Sasuke couldn't smell a hint of char.

"Come to school with me tomorrow," Iruka said, "I can always use the help and there's a couch in the teacher's lounge if you get sleepy."

Sasuke snorted as the hot glow of the fox invaded the living room. "And do what? I can't exactly grade papers."

"An extra body in the classroom is always useful," Iruka said dryly.

The couch shuddered as Naruto leaped over the back and landed with a 'wuff'. "Hey, how come you never ask me to help you out?" he grumbled.

Iruka snorted, "The last thing I need is a class full of Narutos." Naruto squawked and Sasuke felt the couch rock as the two tussled briefly. Sasuke couldn't see it, but as their chakra flared slightly he could _feel_ the moment Iruka got Naruto pinned and proceeded to give him a noogie. He could almost feel the good humor and the brotherly, or fatherly, affection that flowed between those two, and it made his stomach twist. _It was a rare moment of peace for the brothers, Father was out late working on a case and Mother was on a mission, and Anaki didn't have a mission for at least another week due to a teammate's_ _injury. No one was watching to see if they were practicing or upholding the Uchiha Image. So here he was, face down in the dirt, feeling his brother's knuckles grind into his skull, Itachi actually _laughing_ as he told Sasuke to eat dirt. Sasuke twisted in his brother's grip, fingers flying through his best rendition of the family's fire jitsu, knowing that he was no match for his brother but hoping that he would play along. _In real time Sasuke blinked his brother's eyes, returning the world to its strange darkness. His stomach twisted as it always did when he remembered his brother, but the rage that used to follow was absent, had been absent for some time. Now there was only grief.

"Fine, fine! Uncle! I give up!" Naruto laughed, "Iruka-sensei, you're so mean!"

"This old man still has a few tricks up his sleeve."

"You're not old!"

"Hah, that's what you think."

Sasuke snorted softly and turned away from them, echoes of his brother ricocheting through him. Not that Itachi was anything like Iruka. He crossed his arms and tucked his hands against his ribs and let his head rest on the back of the couch. He could almost feel his brother at times like these, looking out through their useless eyes, watching the world through the eyes Sasuke could no longer use. He hoped the view provided Itachi a measure of peace.

The movie started and it took Sasuke a minute to realize that it was some kind of science fiction movie, Star Trek, perhaps. He tensed as he listened as the young captain sacrificed his life to save that of his wife and child. He jumped slightly when someone slung an arm around his shoulder and hugged him, but it was only Iruka.

He didn't know if that was better or worse.

Sasuke allowed the chuunin to pull him against his broad chest as he listened to the movie and ate the popcorn Naruto forced upon him. It was, he thought, a fairly good movie, but the gut-wrenching pain of one of the character's mother and world dying was too much for him. He didn't want to deal with the ghosts it dredged up, and so, almost reluctantly, he fell asleep against Iruka's shoulder.

It was better than being awake, after all.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: yes, I am redoing this story. Chapter One is new. Chapter Two is the old Chapter One, and Chapter Three is the old Chapter Two plus some extra. I suggest re-reading the whole think through. Clear as mud?

As usual, totally unbetaed. Nothing belongs to me.

…..

_Sasuke__ was __stiff__, __every __muscle __vibrating__ with __tension__ when __Iruka __found __him__. __He__ frowned__, __the__ back __of __the __boy__'__s __head__ was __bleeding __profusely__, __but __Iruka __knew __that __could __mean __anything __from__ a__ minor __scalp __wound __to __bone __fragments __driven __into __his __brain__. __Given __the__ boy__'__s __condition __he __feared __the __later__. __Carefully __he__ reached__ out __to __take __the__ boy__'__s__ vitals__—__he __didn__'__t __want __to __move __him__ until __a__ medic__-__nin __team __arrived__ with __a __backboard __and __head__brace__—__and __pulled __back __with __a__ startled __yell__. __Chakra __lashed __out __at __him__, __a__ curious __mix __of__ fire__ and __electricity__. __Too __hot__ to __touch__._

_Iruka __had __a__ sinking __feeling __he __was __going __to __lose __his __first __student __from__ Naruto__'__s__ year__. __ He__ shoved__ that __aside__, _Focus on what you can do.

_He __looked__ around__, __Sakura __was__ still__ hunched__ over__ Naruto__, __and__ as__ much__ as __he__ didn__'__t__ want __to __lose __this__ student __he__ didn__'__t __want__ to__ lose__ Naruto__ more__. __After __all__, _Naruto_ wasn__'__t__ a __traitor__._

_Sasuke __groaned__, __opening__ his__e yes__._

"_Sasuke__-__kun__?" __Iruka__ waved__ his__ hand__ over __his __eyes__. "__Can __you __hear __me__?"_

_No__ response __beyond __Sasuke__'__s __labored__ breathing__. __There __was __a__ bubbly__ sound __to __it __that __made __Iruka__ think __he__ had __a__ punctured__ lung__. __If __so__, __it __was __only __a __matter __of __time __before __he __drowned__ in__ his __own__ blood__. __A__ lot __of __people __could __probably__ consider __that __a__ just __end__ for __a __missing__-__nin__._

_Not__ Iruka__. _

_The__ others __were __still __occupied__, __so __Iruka __quickly __pulled__ a__ small __scroll__ from__ a __pouch__ and __bit __the __corner__ of __his __thumb__. __A __drop __of__ sacrifical __blood __later __and __a __pygmy__ falcon__—__a__ black __and __white __bird__ no __larger __then__ a __canary__, __but __every __bit __as __fierce __and __independent __as __her __larger__ relatives__—__stood __in __the __middle __of __the __protective__ seal__. _

"_What__ do __you __need __me__ for__, __Iruka__-__kun__? __I __was __in __the __middle __of __cleaning __my__ roost __when__ you __called__."_

_Iruka__ smiled__, __sometimes __Aero __sounded__ just __like __his __mother__. "__This __boy __is __injured__, __could __you __please __bring__ help__?"_

_She __looked__ at __Sasuke__ critically__, __springing__ into __the__ air__ and__ hovering__ in__order __to__ gain__ perspective__. "__He__ broke__ contract__ with__ the__ snakes__," __she__ said__. "__I__ don__'__t__ know __why__ the__ hawks__ agreed__ to __sign __with __him__."_

"_I__ don__'__t__ know__ either__," __Iruka __said__ politely__. "__Could__ you__ please__ hurry__? __He __has__ a __head__ injury__, __and__ I__ can__'__t __touch__ him__."_

_She __landed__ briefly__ on__ his__ hand__, __her__ tiny__ little__ claws__ barely__ more__ then__ pinpricks__ against__ his__ skin__. "__Very__ well__," __she__ chattered__ her __beak__ thoughtfully__, "__But__ if__ sorrow __comes__ from__ saving __him__, __do __not __blame __me__." __And __then __she __was __off__, __darting __away__ into __the __distance __like __an __arrow__. _

_While __he __waited __Iruka __remembered __the __little __boy __who __always __sat __at __the __front __of __the __class__, __glowering __at __whatever__ nin __had __the __misfortune __of__ teaching __that __day__. __He__ asked __questions __but __did __not __seek __approval __or __attention__, __unlike __his __blond__-__haired __loundmouth __classmate__. __Untrusting__, __unsmiling__, __as __if __he __had __no__ time__ to __be__ a__ child__. __Iruka __remembered__ one__ trip __to __the __mountains __for__ a__ winter __survival __training__ mission__. Sasuke __had __cried __in __his __sleep __for __his __mother__—__then __dead __for __two__ years__._

_He__ wished__ he __could __have __helped__ him__._

_To __his __surprise __it __was __Hinata__-__chan__ who__ answered __Iruka__'__s __call __for __help__. __She __wasn__'__t __exactly __a __medical__-__nin__, __although __her __family__'__s __gift __was __useful __for __medical __imaging__, __and __Hinata__-__chan__ never __struck __him__ as __the __overly _physical_ type__. __But __perhaps__ that __was __due __to__ childhood __shyness__._

_She __wasn__'__t __shy __now__. __Once __again __Iruka __found __himself __shoved __out __of __the __way__. __Rather __like__ the __rest __of __his __of__ his __life __it __seemed__, __now__ that __he __came __to __think __about __it__. __But __that __was__ the __fate __of __an __Academy __teacher__, __he __was __in __his __students__' __lives __for __such __a__ short __time __before __letting __them__ go__, __and__, __in __many __cases __watched __from__ a __distance__ as __they __swiftly __out__-__paced__ him__._

_Hinata__'__s __Byakugan __was __active__, __the__ veins__ surrounding __her__ eyes __bulging__ under__ pressure__. __Iruka __would __never __admit__ it __out __loud__, __but __dojutsu __always __creeped __him __out__, __the __normally __opalescent__ Hyuuga __eyes __turned__ strange __and__ alien __when __those __veins __bulged__. __Hinata__'__s __hands__ hovered __over __Sasuke__ for __a__ moment__ before __darting __in__, __touching __various __points __over __his __body__. __Iruka __couldn__'__t __see __it__, __but __he __knew__ that __she__ was __shutting __down__ Sasuke__'__s __chakra __points__. __Iruka __shifted __uncomfortably__—__this__ was __dangerous__. __Being__ a __teacher __meant __that __he __had __fairly __broad__, __if__ not __terribly __detailed__, __knowledge __of __the __various __bloodline__ limits __Konoha __nurtured__. __Closing __off __all __Sasuke__'__s __chakra__ points __could __cause __permanent __damage__, __even__ if __Hinata __lifted __the__ blocks __later__._

_When __Hinata __paused__ Iruka __cleared __his __throat __carefully__. "__How __is __he __doing__?"_

_She__ didn__'__t __look __up__. "__He __has__ chakra__-__overload__. __It __looks__ like__ the__-" __her __voice__ faltered __for __a__ moment__, "__the __Kyuubi__ forced__ its __chakra __into __him__. __I__ think__ it __might __be __damaging __his __nervous __and __chakra__ systems__, __I__'__m __making __him__ safe __to __handle__."_

"_Will __that __help __him__?"_

_She __shook __her __head__, __and __rolled __Sasuke __over__, __touching__ various__ points __on __his __back__.. "__Only __in __that __it __will __make __it __easier __to__ get __him__ to __a__ real __medic__. __He__ needs __to __be __isolated__, __drained__, __his __chakra __coils __purged__, __healed__, __reconstructed __and__..." __she __shook __her __head__ wordlessly__._

"_It __doesn__'__t__ look__ good__, __does __it__?"_

_Hinata__ looked __at __him__ helplessly__. "__I __don__'__t __think __so__, __no__."_

* * *

Books slammed down on the table, startling Sasuke out of the drifting daydreams that had filled his mind since his return to Konoha. He jumped out of his skin and glowered in the general direction of Iruka before carefully exploring the books with his fingers. The pages felt... odd. Some were thick manilla paper—others appeared to be thin layers of _metal_.

"What are these for?"

"You," Iruka said. Sasuke bit his tongue. The Naruto response would be to state something completely obvious like the fact he was _completely__ blind_ and couldn't possibly read, but Iruka knew that and he wasn't stupid. Curious, Sasuke opened a book, skimming his fingers over the pages. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"I don't read Braille."

Iruka snorted. "You mean you don't know how to read Braille."

Sasuke shrugged. It was the same thing, wasn't it?

Iruka slapped an old tape recorder down next to him and slipped a pair of oversized headphones over his ears. "Here," he said, sliding an open book under his fingers. "This is a tutorial that will teach you how to read Braille. I have teacher-parent conferences tomorrow, so I'm going to be here for a while tonight. I want you to study."

For a moment Sasuke rebelled. He already knew how to read, he didn't need to learn how to read Braille, this was completely retarded.

But that was just denial. It wasn't like he was getting his eyesight back.

He heard Iruka move back to the teacher's desk. Sasuke reached over and felt the over-large buttons until he found the one marked with a raised triangle for 'play'. There was no point fighting it.

And that wasn't the end of the day's humiliations.

"Here," Sakura said, when he went in for his weekly check-up, depositing what appeared to be a small child in his arms. "Hang on to him while I chase down his sister." Before he could protest she was out the door and running down the hall.

The child stuck his grubby fingers in Sasuke's nose and ears, making him flinch. Behind him Kakashi chuckled. Bastard. Sasuke shifted uncomfortably and hitched the child up further, winching when he switched his grip from Sasuke's ear to his _hair__._ "You could help me out, you know," he growled when the child started to squirm.

"Maaa, but he looks so happy there!"

Sasuke gritted his teeth and vowed that he was going to get even, _somehow_, a vow that was reinforced when the kid started wailing. He bounced the brat awkwardly and sighed, and wondered just how the hell his life had come to this.

"Maybe he doesn't like you," Kakashi said over his shoulder. Sasuke just barely kept himself from jumping.

"Maybe he doesn't like the masked maniac standing behind me," Sasuke said flatly. As if in agreement the child's screams rose a couple notches. Where the _hell_ was Sakura? He bounced the child again and patted his back awkwardly, wondering if his brother had ever done this with him. Probably. He remembered that when both his parents were on missions it was Itachi who babysat him. He frowned, now that he was almost an adult he could see how wrong it was for a child that young be left alone with a baby.

The little boy's screams increased again and Sasuke guessed that Kakashi was probably making faces at him. Really, that man had no place being around a young child. Before he could do more then send a menacing growl at the man Sakura returned, a second screaming child in tow.

"Thank you!" Sakura shouted over the noise. "Their mom is in surgery and we can't have them running all over the place." She took the younger child from him and disappeared again, presumably to take them back to the hospital's daycare.

_And__ where __is __their __father__?_ But Sasuke knew better then to ask that out loud. This was Konoha after all. Their father was probably on a mission. Or dead in battle. Or holed up in one of Danzo's dungeons somewhere for all he knew. Danzo may be gone, but his vile poison lived on.

What a piece of shit.

Sasuke stood in awkward silence with a Kakashi who didn't seem to mind staring at his back. Or whatever that pervert was up to. And of course his brother decided to show up just to make sure 'awkward' would turn embarrassing.

"You really need to stop whining, little brother."

Great, just great, the last thing he wanted was to give Tsunade a reason to commit him.

"You're doing it again," Itachi said, a teasing note in his voice. "Complaining. And you were such a cheerful little boy, too."

_And __who__'__s __fault __is __that__?_ "Fuck you."

"In about ten years," Kakashi said at the same time as Itachi's: "That would be incest. And necrophilia."

Dear god, it's a fucking Greek Chorus in here.

"Shut up," he grumbled and fumbled for the exam table. Kakashi stayed silent, and Sasuke could feel the weight of his regard on his shoulders. Ever since his return his old teacher watched him when he thought Sasuke wasn't paying attention. He probably thought Sasuke didn't know, but he could hear the turning of the pages, too regular to be actually read. He knew Kakashi didn't trust him, and found it oddly reassuring.

The table was cold under his hand, the thin paper covering the padding crinkled under his fingers. He bumped against the mysterious metal _things_ that stuck out of one end. He had a vague notion that they had something to do with _female__ issues_ and wisely never asked Sakura what they were for.

A few minutes later she re-entered the room. "There," she said, obscenely pleased. "They're settled. Now, let me look at you." Sasuke let her take his face in both hands. He flinched a little at her touch, wanted to pull away and tell her to fuck off but Kakashi was right there with his stupid book and stupid look and Sasuke _knew_ he'd never hear the god damned end of it if he told her to fuck off.

Even so he hissed when he felt her chakra invade his brain, slipping in through the edges like a cold wave. He gritted his teeth against the pain-it was like the world's worst cold-headache and about three times as annoying. Only his pride kept him from jerking back.

"Sorry about that," she said, sounding not sorry at all.

"What are you _doing__?_" he hissed.

"Uh, what I always do," Sakura said. "Healing your brain damage."

"It didn't fucking _hurt_ last time."

Sakura pulled her hands away. "That's strange," she said, "I'm not doing anything different."

Sasuke didn't say anything. After a moment Sakura sighed and placed her hands back on his temples. This time her chakra felt _fizzy_. He could deal with fizzy. Sakura made a dissatisfied _hmm_ sound and pressed in further.

…

"Well?" Kakashi asked an hour later. It had been a very busy hour in which Sakura had brought in about three other specialists, including the elderly Hyuuga who specialized in medical imagery. The old man had clucked at him like a disapproving hen and Sasuke felt his crippled Sharingan react instinctively to his dojutsu. His muscles immediately locked up as the Kuuybi seemed to swallow the world.

"That was interesting," the old man said when he returned to himself.

"What happened?" Kakashi asked again, sounding a little impatient. If Sasuke didn't know better he'd say his old teacher was worried. "He just spaced out."

The old man sniffed. "Just a minuet-mal seizure. Nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about?" Kakashi sounded doubtful, but then he hadn't spent as much time with Sasuke recently as Iruka had. Sasuke wondered why the man still cared. It wasn't like he hadn't spent the last four years trying to kill them all.

"All things considered, no. Although, it was interesting that your bloodlimit seemed to trigger it." Out of the black void he patted his head. He scowled but refused to move. "We're tracing down the damage quite well! Obviously the damage to your chakra-system is tied in to the damage to your nervous system and the damage seems to be increasing, when it should be healing, and-"

Sasuke tuned him out. This wasn't new knowledge to him, but the medic nins always acted excited when it came up. He wasn't sure why. Sakura and the old woman talked at him excitedly for a few more minutes before the former realized he wasn't paying any attention to them and smacked his shoulder. Hard. The bitch. At that point Kakashi stood and called the appointment to a end, to Sasuke's private relief.

"Mah, is that all?" he asked, sounding a lazy as ever. A hand not-really-that-casually clasped his shoulder.

"Yes," Sakura said simply. "We'll increase his medication," she continued, speaking as if Sasuke wasn't there. "and it'll probably help if we seal him again, to keep foreign chakra out of his system." Sasuke grimaced at that, the first time they had sealed him like that it felt as if his sense of _touch_ was blocked, rendering him even more blind than usual. He said nothing, however. There was little point.

His entire life was pointless.

Kakashi shook his shoulder. "I can do the seal," he said to the medic-nins. Sasuke shuddered.


End file.
